The Little Prince has been adapted for film multiple times, most notably the 2015 animated feature, which frames the original story within a new outer narrative about a modern girl and her elderly neighbor. Comparing a film adaptation to the source novel gives students a structured, engaging way to think critically about how meaning changes when a story moves from one medium to another.

The 2015 film's decision to add an entirely new frame story, rather than adapting the original narrator's story directly, is itself a rich point of discussion, since it raises the question of why filmmakers might feel the need to modernize or reframe a story that already contains its own frame narrative within the source text. Students can be asked to evaluate whether this addition strengthens or dilutes the original novel's core message.

Visually, the film distinguishes between the modern frame story, rendered in computer animation, and the original prince narrative, rendered in a stop motion style that echoes the texture of Saint-Exupéry's watercolor illustrations. This visual choice offers a useful discussion point connecting back to the visual literacy work covered in other units built around the novel's original illustrations.

Any comparison assignment should clarify upfront that adaptations are not obligated to match a source text exactly, and that a useful analytical question is not simply whether the film is faithful, but why specific changes were made and what effect those changes have on the story's meaning and audience.

Structuring a Comparison Assignment

A focused comparison assignment works best when it asks students to examine a small number of specific scenes present in both the novel and the film, rather than attempting a sweeping comparison of the entire adaptation, since the added frame story means large portions of the film have no direct equivalent in the source text to compare against.

• Compare how the fox's speech on taming is presented in the novel versus the film
• Compare how each medium visually represents the rose and her relationship with the prince
• Discuss the purpose and effect of the film's added modern frame story
• Compare the tone of the ending in the novel versus the film's resolution
• Evaluate which medium more effectively conveys the theme of adults losing imagination

Grading Adaptation Comparison Essays

Grading this kind of essay should reward students who analyze the effect of specific adaptation choices, rather than simply cataloging differences between the film and the book without interpreting their significance. A rubric line specifically rewarding interpretation of why a change was made, and what effect it has, distinguishes strong comparative analysis from a purely descriptive list of differences.

It also helps to require students to take an explicit position on whether a particular adaptation choice serves the original story's themes well or poorly, since this pushes the essay toward genuine argument rather than neutral description, matching the same standard applied to purely literary analytical essays elsewhere in the unit.

Handling Access to the Film

Before assigning this comparison, teachers should confirm students have reasonable access to the film, whether through a school streaming subscription, a classroom screening, or a library copy, since requiring students to independently source a film for a homework assignment can create equity issues that a screening in class or a school-provided access point avoids.

A single class period, or portion of a period, spent watching key comparison scenes together, rather than assigning the full film as homework, is often the most practical and equitable approach, particularly for shorter comparison assignments focused on specific scenes rather than a comprehensive review of the entire film.

Extending Into Media Literacy

This kind of comparison assignment also builds general media literacy skills that extend well beyond this specific novel, teaching students to think critically about adaptation choices they will encounter throughout their lives whenever a book they know becomes a film or television series. Framing the assignment with this broader media literacy goal in mind helps students see its relevance beyond a single unit on a single book.

Teachers who build this kind of comparison assignment into a Little Prince unit successfully often find they can reuse the same analytical framework for other adaptations later in the year, giving students repeated, low stakes practice with a genuinely transferable critical thinking skill.